


Petrichor

by Bookworm987



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Masturbation, Reylo - Freeform, Slow Burn, That's Not How The Force Works, Voyeurism, Will tag as story continues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-18 19:24:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5940301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookworm987/pseuds/Bookworm987
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The rain was still foreign to her. She had learned to keep her awe to herself after the pitying glances she received from the members of the resistance. If there was one single thing that was true in this world, it was that Rey didn’t need anyone’s damned pity. </p><p>Set 6 months after the events of TFA, Rey is finally learning to control the power inside of her. The only problem is the nagging voice in the back of her head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

The rain was still a foreign thing to her. She had learned to keep her awe to herself after the pitying glances she received from the members of the resistance. If there was one single thing that was true in this world, it was that Rey didn’t need anyone’s damned pity. Even still, every time she heard the drops of water pitter pattering away on the roof, she would find some excuse to make her way outside. The wet cold that enveloped her always had a calming effect, almost as though it were washing away everything that was holding her back. It was those moments that it was easiest for her to connect with the force. The water grounded her, and she could feel all of the life that she was surrounded by. Rey loved these moments because the peace that she felt was so strong that she could slip into her meditations without a second thought.

It had been days since Rey had been able to center herself. Master Luke had been off planet for a while, and she was starting to worry that she would never be able to truly meditate without her Master there to guide her. She had briefly contemplated asking the General to meditate with her but had second thoughts when she considered the voice in the back of her head. The fact that Rey was connected to Kylo Ren while living in a Resistance camp was bad enough. She didn’t want to add in a round of him pestering her about his mother as well. Rey knew that she should tell someone about their connection.  She was pretty confident that Master Luke knew already anyway. But a deep, dark part of her liked having this secret. And a deeper, darker part of her liked the connection. What had started as threats and coercion had somehow morphed into a strange kinship. He didn’t try to sway her to his side anymore, and she had stopped listing all of the things he could shove up his ass. He had been in her mind the first time that she had seen the rain pour down like it tended to do on D'Qar. He had laughed along with her as she danced around. He always made his way into her mind when the rain came after that. He must have been able to sense her elation. Sometimes he would meditate with her if they both had the time. She preferred those days.

Rey had been helping Poe get his ship ready for his next mission when she sensed the storm coming. She was pretty sure that it was a big one, and she felt excitement shoot through her at the thought. The dormant Kylo perked up a bit in her mind but didn’t do anything else. Rey jumped up from her crouch instantly, hitting her head on the way up. A crack of thunder sounded in the distance, and Poe laughed at her, shaking his head.

“Go on then, I can finish this up. Don’t drown out there,” he said with a smirk. He and Finn were the only ones that she had bothered explaining her obsession. It would have been difficult to think of excuses every time she wanted to escape outside. She spent almost all of her mostly nonexistent free time with the boys. “Just make sure you are back before dinner. Finn wanted to go over the plan again before we leave, and he’ll listen to you more than he will me.”

Rey stuck her tongue out at Poe and darted out with a thumbs up, hearing his laugh echo through the hangar as she escaped. She darted through trees and pushed past vines until she made her way to her favorite place. It was a small clearing surrounded by green and life. Rey made her way to the large rock that she had claimed as her own, and climbed atop. The second she closed her eyes, she felt the clouds above her begin to weep. She had to reopen them instantly, just for a second. She took in the sight in front of her and sighed a peaceful sigh. As her eyes were closing again, she felt the tickle in the back of her head that reminded her that she was not alone. Rey took a breath and tried to ignore it.

It faded away, or she faded away. She wasn’t really sure which made the most sense, and she didn’t care. The birds were singing, the grass was growing, the wind blowing, and of course, the rain was pouring. Rey was no longer sitting on her rock, but flying in the sky, floating through the water. She was part of the ground, surrounded by life. Finally, she found her way to her peaceful place. It was in her head. She was well aware of that, but she still felt most at home there than she had ever felt in her life. It was the green planet that she had always pictured. Her salvation. It was only when she arrived that she opened her eyes. She wasn’t surprised to see that she was not alone. After all, he had been in her head just as much as she had been in his. They knew each other’s hiding spots.

He was sitting in front of her, eyes closed and shoulders relaxed. He was dressed simply, but that was one of her rules. If he was going to come into her places, she didn’t want him projecting that horrible mask and all of those layers of black. He didn’t seem to mind the costume change. She thought, in a place that she was sure he couldn’t hear, that he liked coming here with her. They never spoke of the resistance or the First Order there. It was a place of peace, and Rey was almost certain that he was more thankful for that than she was.

She didn’t bother him in his meditation, happy to have some time to herself. She took in a deep breath, relaxing back into the soft grass. She wished briefly that she could feel this at peace on the planet she was currently on but pushed the thought aside before it could blossom into sorrow. Time passed strangely in her head. She wasn’t sure if she lay there for five minutes or five hours, but when she opened her eyes, they immediately met those of the man in front of her. The question he asked surprised her.

“Do you want to spar? I know it’s been a couple weeks since you have had a decent partner.” Rey couldn’t help the thrill of excitement that rushed through her. He smirked and stood before she could even get an answer out. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

Rey reached for the saber dangling from her hip without a word. She pulled it into her hand and ignited it in a single move. He did the same, his saber no less chaotic in their minds than in life. He twirled it in his hand a couple times, warming his wrist up.

They circled each other like animals, beginning their violent dance. Rey was about to strike when he lunged forward so suddenly that she had to twist her body sharply to block the hissing blade from slicing into her leg. He struck again, and Rey was astounded by his speed. She could barely sense how he was going to move, and struggled to get the upper hand. He didn’t give her a chance to attack. He kept her moving, constantly on defense. She was losing. She lunged forward trying to take him by surprise when he parried out of nowhere and knocked her lightsaber from her hands. She stood stunned as his saber sparked at her neck erratically.

“You held back on Starkiller,” were the only words that she could think to say. He actually laughed at that and turned his blade off.

“Of course I did Scavenger. I didn’t want you dead.” He left it at that, but she could feel the rest of the sentence. _I wanted you to join me_. Rey bit her lip and looked down, disappointed in herself. She hadn’t really expected to beat him, but she thought that she would have at least been able to put up a fight. He stepped towards her and reached across the space between them, lifting her chin so their eyes could meet. The contact set the bond on fire. They had never touched skin to skin before. It was electric. He dropped his hand instantly, but still held her gaze. “My offer still stands you know.” He paused, running his hand through his hair. “I can show you the ways of the force.”

Before Rey could even think of a response she was jolted out of her trance. A large rumble of thunder was still sounding in the sky. The rain was coming down so hard that Rey could barely see her hands in front of her. She sighed and started her way back to the base, thankful she was so familiar with the route.

_I mean it. Promise me you will consider it._

Rey didn’t let herself think before answering.

_I will._


	2. Frustrations

Rey hadn't wasted any time getting back to the base. By the time she reached the doors, she was frozen to the bone and there was not a dry patch of skin on her body. She was glad that she now had the luxury of a fresh change of clothes and a hot shower. These small things would never be taken for granted. When she had made it back to her small room, she had stripped her layers away, leaving a trail of clothing from her door to the small fresher in the corner. She shivered and turned on the stream of hot water, not wasting any time jumping in. She could feel the chill leaving her system by the second.

_You are going to get yourself sick if you keep putting yourself through this._

Rey rolled her eyes and started scrubbing at her hair. _I’ve never been sick a day in my life. I don’t think that is a coincidence, Ren._ The suds between her fingers smelled amazing. Rey took in a deep breath of contentment. _Now if you don’t mind, I’m in the middle of something._ She did her best to shut him out and felt him withdraw on his own. The strange kinship that they had formed was impossible for Rey to explain, even to herself. She didn’t know what would happen the next time that they actually faced each other again. If the duel that they had had that afternoon was any indicator, Rey suspected that she would either be dead or kidnapped within seconds. Neither option sounded good to her. She did not believe for one second that he would go easy on her. They may have formed a truce in their minds, but Rey was certain it did not extend to the real world.The way he had come after her seemed as though he still hadn’t shown her his full potential.

Rey pictured the fight in her head as the water streamed down from above. There had been a smirk on his face the whole time. He could have easily hurt her, but he didn’t put a single scratch on her. Even when he was showing off, he was still holding back, still refusing to harm her. There were a couple slashes that could have easily taken off limbs. She wasn’t really sure what would happen to her if she was injured in her meditation, but the visions felt real enough that she was not eager to test its limits. She thought back to the way he had grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes to his. The action had sent a jolt through her body, and she was fairly certain it did the same to him. Rey had been too distracted to notice the fire of his touch in the moment. She wasn’t distracted anymore.

Moving on its own accord, Rey’s hand trailed down her body softly, before finding its destination in the soft patch of curls at her apex. The fire only grew as she spread her folds with her fingers and found the spot crying out for attention. Swirling around, she lost all focus except for the pleasure that was growing through her body. As she brought herself closer to relief, she noticed a flicker of awareness in the back of her head, followed by and even more intense arousal that felt nothing like her own. He was fully alert in her mind now. She could feel him, practically frozen in shock, but it did nothing but add to the desire she was feeling. She could practically hear his growl as he realized what he was witnessing.  Rey was so close to the edge that she couldn’t bring herself to care about his intrusion. An image of Ren replacing her fingers with his own popped up behind her eyelids, and before she could wonder whose mind the image came from, she was seeing stars, leaning her head against the wall trying to catch her breath.

As she came down from her orgasm, Rey felt her cheeks redden. The flush was nothing to do with the heat, but the mortification of what she had just let Ren witness. She tried to think of what she could say but was drawing a blank. It wasn’t her first time touching herself. She was no stranger to that. It was the first time that Kylo Ren had anything to do with it, though. She could tell that he was just as speechless as her, both of them floundering around in their respective minds, looking for the words to say. Finally, she broke the silence.

_I… I don’t know what that was, but I think it’s best we just pretend it didn’t happen._

She felt a murmur of assent. He withdrew from her mind without a word, and she was grateful.

 

 

“Finn, you know the specifications for this ship better than I do at this point. Can we just enjoy the rest of our dinner and worry about the mission tomorrow?” Poe and Rey had explained every last detail of the Extended B-Wing fighter that he and Poe would be leaving in the next day. Rey knew that Finn was trying to hide his nervousness behind all of his questions. It would be his first official mission for the Resistance. He had finally been cleared by all of his doctors and had practically begged the General to let him accompany Poe on his next outing. They had to take the old ship so Finn could come along. The resistance’s stock on two passenger starfighters was remarkably low.

It was supposed to be a simple in and out mission, and Rey could tell that Poe was starting to get frustrated with Finn’s constant questioning. Poe didn't like to worry about the details, and Finn's stressing was weighing down on him too. Rey racked her brain for something to change the topic to, hoping diffuse the situation before the boys said something they didn’t mean.

 _How very Jedi of you. The little Scavenger, bringer of peace._ He whispered in her mind with what sounded like a smirk. She hoped she didn’t jump too noticeably at the unexpected intrusion. _Thank the heavens,_ she thought to herself. He seemed just as he had hours ago, before her stunt in the shower.

 _I’ll take that as a compliment. Seeing as that is what I am going for,_ she replied just as sarcastically.

Rey stuffed the rest of her food into her mouth and stood from the table.

“I’m going to go look through the archives. Either one of you want to come with?” She knew the answer before she had even asked the question. Poe waved her away, but Finn jumped up to join her. “Get some rest Poe. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

Rey waved goodbye to him and set off down the hallway with Finn. She could always count on Finn to keep her company as she researched whatever she could find about the Jedi of the past. Luke had made her promise to keep vigilant about her training while he was away, and she thought that learning about the Jedi Order was one way to do that. Finn was just eager to learn anything he could. He had grown up learning the First Order’s version of everything, a version that glorified Snoke and disparaged the resistance.

“Do you think that there will be anything about the gun systems of a B-Wing Fighter? That ship is so ancient, I’m afraid I won’t know what to do.” Rey gave a noncommittal hum and continued walking. She knew that Finn had memorized every text that could be found that even mentioned the ship, but she couldn’t think of a better way to distract him from his nerves.

_You could always tell him to grow a pair and deal with it._

Rey rolled her eyes to herself, projecting the feeling his way. _Do you have nothing better to do with your time?_

He laughed and she thought that would be the end of it, but he stayed present as she walked into the archive room. Finn parted from her in search of new information. Rey didn’t really know what she was looking for. This hadn’t exactly been what Luke had told her to do in his time away, but the curiosity she felt was overwhelming. It was difficult to find much of anything due to the amount of destruction that happened in the years after the Jedi Order fell. But Rey searched as hard as she could to find any mention of them that she could. _You could just ask, you know. Believe it or not, I am fairly knowledgeable on the subject._

 _So you really don’t have anything better to do then?_ She asked him, ignoring his offer as she powered on the holo-screen in front of her.

 _You could call it a night off of sorts I suppose. Not much for me to do until I get off of this ship._ Rey didn’t bother asking where he was going and he didn’t elaborate. _You’ve been looking into the Jedi’s from before the fall right?_ She assented and continued to scroll through the text in front of her. _You won’t find much of anything in those archives. Trust me, I grew up with them. The most you are going to find are brief mentions of Master Yoda and Kenobi. Maybe a couple sentences about Qui-Gon Jinn._

She brushed away the irritation that she felt. He was right of course. She had found nothing but short references of a handful of Jedi. She had been hoping that she would come across something that she could learn, something that would broaden her understanding of the force. Currently, she spent most of her time meditating or practicing with her saber. While she knew both of those were important skills, she felt like she was missing something in knowing nothing of those before her. She hadn’t actively projected those feelings toward Kylo, but he picked up on them regardless. _Scavenger,_ he started slowly _, you will not learn what you want in a couple lines of text found in a half destroyed archive._ He paused, contemplating how to finish _._ She cut him off before he could continue.

 _You will have to forgive me for not wanting the dark side’s version of things Ren._ She could practically feel the over exaggerated sigh that he huffed out.

 _Fine. Search away, scavenger. Let me know when you find something worthwhile._ He retreated from her mind before she could respond. She rolled her eyes again. He didn’t like not getting his way. Rey was shocked that Snoke had let him get away with his childish mood swings for so long. She pushed the thoughts of him away and renewed her focus on the screen in front of her. After no more than ten minutes, she shoved away in frustration knowing that Kylo was right. She wouldn’t find anything buried in the old records. She would just have to wait for Luke to return, and ask him then.

She stood from her seat and made her way over to Finn, who was reading over a specifications manual like it was a sacred text.

“I’m going to head out Finn. It’ll be an early morning for all of us tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep.” Rey set her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I think you have absorbed everything you can.”

He looked up at her and gave a halfhearted grin. “You’re right, I know.” He stood along with her and gestured toward the door. She started out, and he followed close behind her. They didn’t talk on their trek back to their rooms. It was a comfortable silence that Rey cherished. They reached his room first, and he gave her a short hug before shutting himself inside. Rey continued on her own down the halls, pressing her hand to the pad outside of her door to gain entrance. She almost didn’t see the fold of paper that fell to the floor as the door opened. Yawning, she reached down and grabbed it, letting the door seal her inside.

**Your presence is required in the General’s office at 0800.**

Rey furrowed her brow, wondering what the General could want with her. She shook aside the question, setting an alarm to wake her up early enough to see the boys before they left. She climbed underneath her covers and was asleep in minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel much better about this chapter, but maybe I'm just crazy! Let me know what you think! the plot is still not 100% hammered out, so there is plenty of room for change. Feel free to leave a comment, or message me on [Tumblr](http://bookworm357.tumblr.com/)


	3. Mornings

Rey had done virtually the same thing every morning as far back as she could remember. She would always wake far before the sun did, dressing quickly and starting off into the wide expanse of land outside of her home. Back on Jakku, it was for survival. If she wasn’t the first person in the wreckage, she could lose out on precious rations. It was a little different on D’Qar. She still woke earlier than most, but instead of looking for parts, she was focusing on her training. She ran, practiced lightsaber forms, and meditated all before the sun rose. She liked to save the meditation for last because it filled her with joy to be connected to everything around her as the world awoke from its slumber. Her body would be exhausted, but her mind was always fresh. It was easier for her to slip into the trances when Luke was there to guide her into them. She was trying very hard to be able to do it on her own, though. She wanted to prove to him that she was trying, even while he was away.

Her rock in the meadow was just where she had left it. The storm hadn’t unseated it from her favorite spot. She took a deep breath and started stretching her muscles out, trying to alleviate any cramping. She had been distracted by a muscle spasm in her leg before, and she didn’t want it to happen again. As she climbed onto her rock, Rey looked around at the peaceful clearing. It was much calmer than it had been the day before, but Rey knew she would not slip into her meditation as easy this time. She pretended that Luke was standing beside her, talking her through the process.

“Breathe, padawan,” he would start. “Listen to everything around you. Let it become a part of you.” Eyes closed, she reached out with her mind but kept getting distracted by random trains of thought. Rey had been sitting in her clearing for much too long. She was starting to get frustrated, which only made it harder for her to connect. She wasn’t sure why she was having such problems with something so simple. She seemed to pick up on other things quickly. Her rock for example. The massive stone should have been impossible for her to move, but she had levitated the thing right to where she wanted it.

 _Stop thinking so much._ The foreign thought startled her, but she tried to ignore it. _You are focusing so much on not thinking that it is all you can think about. Just clear your mind and breathe. Don’t focus on anything but your breathing._ Rey didn’t respond to him, but she listened to the voice. It was harmless advice; she didn’t think it would hurt to listen. Breathing softly, Rey concentrated on the expansion and contraction of her lungs. She didn’t think about anything but the way the air moved through her body.

“Skywalker never was good at explaining that process. I’m amazed that you can actually do this when he is around.” Rey’s eyes snapped open, and she saw Kylo Ren standing in front of her. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked around. It was not her normal island. Instead, she was on the roof of a tall building in the middle of a massive city. Rey had never seen anything like it before. She disregarded the man in front of her and made her way to the edge of the rooftop. There were other buildings around, but none of them were as tall as the one they were standing atop. With wonder filled eyes, she turned back to the man who shared her mind.

“Where are we? Is this where you are? I’ve never seen something so… big before,” she rambled. She did another slow turn, taking in all directions. It seemed as though they were standing in the center of everything.

“You go to your special place when you meditate, this is where I go. It is the planet that I grew up on. I would always come to this building to… escape.” He walked up to join her at the edge of the building. “I suppose it is still that place for me.” Rey looked sideways at the tall man next to her but didn’t speak. “I could take you here for real one day if you just said the word. I promise the wonder you feel at my lazy representation is nothing compared to that of the real thing.”

Rey still did not say anything. It didn’t seem to surprise him at all. He had offered to take her away multiple times, all to no avail. She wondered if he still did it now just for the sake of trying to get under her skin. Finally, she spoke, “I could not imagine a place more suited to you than this. Why is this the first time I’ve seen this?” They had been meeting on her island since they had first begun the strange acquaintanceship between themselves. She had never even thought that he would prefer something so different.

“This is the first time you have tagged along with my meditation. Normally I follow you along.” Rey nodded, shocked that she had never realized that. She wondered if that made her incredibly selfish or not. He seemed to notice her train of thought. “Your island is just as freeing for me as this place is. I promise it has not been a burden for me to join you.”

Rey smiled to herself and looked back out over the city. She would love very much to see something like it outside of her head, but the fabricated world was enough for the moment. The silence that fell over the two was comfortable. Rey knew she should not feel so comfortable in the presence of a known murderer. She knew that she should use the link between them to locate him, even kill him. Yet, she remained on the fictional rooftop, staring off into the distance. She could feel him looking her way, but she ignored it. She knew he was listening in on her thoughts, but she made no move to acknowledge him. Instead, she sat down on the edge of the roof, dangling her feet off of the edge. She felt him next to her, struggling with his own thoughts, but trying to keep them guarded against her. She didn’t pry.

Eventually, she felt him move. He folded himself down next to her, and turned his head straight, looking in the same direction that she was. She was surprised when his large hand landed softly on top of hers. Rey’s eyes widened at the contact, but she did not pull away. As his fingers began to curl under hers, she heard a beeping coming from her other wrist.

Her comm was going off, letting her know that she needed to get inside to see Poe and Finn off for their mission. Turning to the man next to her, she spoke softly, “I have to go.” He didn’t respond, but she felt the faintest sensation of a squeeze around her fingers as she faded out of his world.

Eyes opening in the real world, Rey shut off the noise coming from her wrist. She tried to nudge softly into Kylo’s mind, but his walls were up. With a sigh, she pulled herself up and started the long trek back to the base.

 

 

“Keep him safe, Poe.” Rey tried to give the pilot her most intimidating stare, but it never worked on him. He just laughed his good-natured laugh and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You are worrying over nothing. It isn’t even supposed to be a combative mission. You know the only reason Finn is even coming along is because he badgered the General until she agreed.” Rey nodded and looked over towards their other friend. Finn was painstakingly looking over all of the supplies. She had never seen this kind of dedication, even from the people on Jakku who were fighting for their next meal. Poe squeezed her shoulder and let his hand fall back down. “I promise he will be back in one piece. If we can’t handle a quickie intel mission, the Resistance has a lot more to worry about than we thought.” He leaned in, giving Rey a quick hug. “Now go tell that man to get it together, or I am leaving without him.” Poe turned from her with a smirk, stepping onto the spacecraft.

Rey had grown to love Finn’s wholehearted dedication to those he loved. She had found in him a friend when she had not had one before. She felt like she needed to protect this man from himself sometimes, though. “Hey there big guy, don’t you think it is time that you got going? I think you have everything you need. Checking that list for the fifth time isn’t going to change anything.” She could see the nerves in his eyes, so she gave him a hug before he could do the same to her. Squeezing him tight she told him softly, “Go get on that ship, Finn. And please do be safe.” Finn pulled away and gave a small nod. He didn’t say anything, just squared his shoulders and walked onto the ship with Poe. It wasn’t much longer until they were up the air, shooting off into the sky.

She was well aware that they would only be gone a few days at most, but for the first time in a long time, Rey felt the stirrings of loneliness begin to well up inside of her. She wasn’t sure what she would do with her time other than practice. Everyone that she was well acquainted with was off on missions while she was stuck on the ground, helping no one but herself.

Her comm started to yell at her again, and she looked at it, confused for a moment. Then she remembered the note from the night before. 

Rey took off in a sprint, having completely forgotten the meeting. She was dodging past other members of the resistance and swinging around corners. Typically, the General's office was on the opposite side of the base. She finally skidded around the corner to the General’s office with one minute to spare. She slowed herself down to a walk and tried to calm her breathing before she knocked on the door. She felt Kylo beginning to stir around in her mind, and before he could say anything, she kicked him out.

 _I’m about to talk to your mother. I think it’s best you stay on your side of the galaxy._ She cut off the connection before he could respond to her, and knocked on the simple door at the same time.

“It’s open, come in.” Rey hadn’t gotten the chance to spend much time with the General since she had come back to the base with Luke in tow. She was absolutely inspired by the woman, though. She was tough as nails and kept everything running smoothly.

Rey nudged the door open gently and walked over to the chair opposite of the other woman. She was pouring over a stack of documents on the table but put them away as Rey took her seat.

“I’m sure you are wondering why I asked you here,” she began. Rey nodded and waited for her to continue. “I’m thinking about sending you and Luke out on a mission when he gets back.” Rey’s eyes widened. “I wanted to get your input. If you don’t think you are ready yet, I can find someone else. This is a big mission, though. We’ve just received information that leads me to believe that the First Order is going to attack one of the planets in the outer rim in the next few weeks. We aren’t sure which one yet, but I want to show those murderous dogs that we aren’t afraid of them.”

Rey bit her lip, “You're just sending me and Luke? That seems like a suicide mission. I wouldn’t say my skills are up to par for something like that yet.”

“No, no there are a great many people I am considering for the mission. I have no intentions of losing my Jedi’s to something like this. I know you are a great pilot, and even without your other skills, that alone would put you on my list.” The older woman stood from her chair, stretching and yawning. “Just give it a good couple days of thought. Talk it over with those boys of yours when they return, and let me know what you decide.” Rey nodded and stood at the dismissal.

“I will General. Thank you for the consideration.” Rey started out the door, mind full.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those love birds just need to get some alone time together! As always, feel free to comment or message me on [tumblr](http://bookworm357.tumblr.com/)


	4. Pain

It was really no question, Rey thought to herself. She knew that she would go on the mission for General Organa. Even without knowing the specifics of it, she knew that she would accept. The struggle would be keeping it from Kylo. Him finding out about the Resistance’s attack plan could prove fatal for everyone she knew. She was still holding up a barrier in her mind, not ready to let him back inside. She thought through the things that Luke had told her about protecting her mind. He had told her to take her secrets and put them somewhere where no one could get. A fortress in her mind. She remembered him telling her that the more intricate the fortress, the stronger the protection.

Rey had never felt the need to actively try and hide something from Ren. They were both good about keeping their locations to themselves, but she knew if she overheard something similar running through his mind, she wouldn’t hesitate to tell the leaders of the Resistance. So, Rey buckled down and built the most intricately secure walls she could imagine. Everything wrapped around her secret, hiding it away as best as she could manage. She hoped that she had done it right. It was not something that Luke had taught her yet, just mentioned in passing. When she felt as though there was nothing else to do, she took a breath and lowered the wall she had thrown up between her and Kylo Ren.

He did not jump into her head as she had been afraid. In fact, she could barely sense him. She realized that he was blocking her as well, and she wondered if he was just trying to get back at her or if he was really trying to hide something from her. She didn’t like the answer either way. With a frown, Rey paced through the halls, trying to clear her mind. There was no sense dwelling on any of the things that were filling her mind at that moment.

Sometimes, Rey was jealous that she did not have a designated job on the base like her friends did. She knew that she was supposed to be using her time to practice and learn, but days like the one she was having did nothing more than make her feel useless and alone. Everyone was out helping the Resistance, and she was floating rocks or swinging a stick.  She felt a little foolish for it, but she had thought that her training would make her feel as though she was doing something important. Instead, she felt as though she was in the way.

She had voiced these thought to Master Luke once, but he had been less than helpful. She respected her master, but she was getting tired of the cryptic messages he always imparted. Maybe going on this mission would finally help her prove to herself that she was not useless.

Her absentminded walking had led her back to her small room. Rey sighed and decided she would take a nap. She hoped that sleep would help wash away the melancholy mood she had dug herself into. She didn’t bother undressing, just collapsed on her pile of blankets, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

 

Rey’s eyes shot open as an unimaginable pain sliced across her back. It was so blinding she could not focus on anything else. She reached her hand around, sure that it would come back covered in blood, but when she opened her eyes, there was nothing there. Slowly, it began to subside. Rey, still confused and unfocused, reached out looking for answers. The solution hit her suddenly, as she felt Kylo Ren nudging against her mind.

_My apologies Scavenger. It seems thoughts are not the only thing we share_. Rey’s brow wrinkled. The pain had felt so real. She had been so sure that someone had attacked her. She was shaken, but she tried to shove those feelings away, still not wanting Ren to see her in a moment of weakness.

_That was you?_ She asked him softly. What _happened?_ He didn’t answer her question, but instead posed one of his own.

_Would you like to meditate? I think I could use it right about now._ Rey wordlessly agreed with him. She could use it too. The phantom pain was still stinging against her skin, but she tried to push it away. There would be no chance of clearing her mind if she could not first block the pain. She could feel Ren begin to calm through their connection as he let go of the pain. The aching slowly dissipated between the both of them, and she found herself slipping in right behind him.

She opened her eyes, expecting to be on top of the same building as the last time. It was his mind they were in after all. Instead, it was a similar likeness to her meadow in the woods. She hoped it was just a coincidence, and that he couldn’t actually see the things that she saw.

“I know it is not the same, but I also know that that place calms you. You’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t know much more than the thoughts that float into my head while you are there.” He was leaning against a large rock. It didn’t look anything like the rock in her actual meadow. She felt a brief rush of relief, before being filled with a mild confusion. She realized that he was trying to make her comfortable. 

“Are you alright?” Rey asked softly. It was the only thing that she could think to say, and she found that she actually cared about his answer. He pushed himself away from the rock and started pacing in front of her.

“I am fine. There is nothing to be done about it now in any case.” He continued to pace before turning toward her sharply. He pulled out his saber and raised his brow in question. Rey almost wanted to say no. After how badly he had beat her the last time, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to face the humiliation again. But the way he was staring at her made it impossible for her to remain sitting. She pulled herself off of the rock and lit her saber. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he lit his own. The static that erupted from his blade was a stark contrast to the calm he exuded. She wondered why this was not the case in real life. Of course, she had trouble remembering that the man in front of her was the same person she had met on star killer base. It was like his mind was separate from his body.

They both bowed their heads lightly to one another. She lunged at him first this time, not one to be tricked twice. He slashed her saber away and forced her to defend herself as he pushed her back. Rey didn’t let herself think about the fact that he was better, but instead poured all of her focus into evading his strikes. He wasn’t holding back, the red from his saber quickly became the only color that Rey could see. He swung his saber around and stopped it seconds before it made contact with her torso.

“You are leaving your left side open. I could have struck you at least seven different times.” He turned his saber off and put it away. “Hold yourself like this and I will not be able to do so.” He repositioned her stance until he was pleased with the form. She didn’t want to admit it, but it felt much more comfortable to her that way. She took a moment to move around before she gave him a nod.

“Alright, let’s go again.” His saber was ignited within a second, and their violent dance began again. She found that the position flowed nicely into the other forms that she had learned. It made her just a bit quicker, and with that speed, she was able to gain the offense. He stumbled backward, and she released a feral grin as he almost fell. She used that brief moment of weakness to make her move, hooking her foot around his and pushing him to the ground. She lowered her saber to his throat.

“Good. Always exploit any weakness that you see. Fighting fair won’t get you anywhere.” He raised his brow, silently asking her to remove her blade. She lifted it slowly, still filled with satisfaction. He pushed himself off of the ground and faced her again. “Once more then.”

They fought over and over again. Each time Ren would show her a different form or give her a piece of advice. In just a brief period of time Rey could already see a big difference in her fighting style. This last spar had lasted the longest. There was sweat pouring down both of their faces, a fact that gave Rey even more strength. She knew that he was just as exhausted as she was. They both struck at each other, but neither one seemed to be making any ground.

He was pushing her back, trying to break down her defenses. She fought back as hard as she could though, wanting to prove that she was a capable fighter. A light sparked in his eyes, and before she could wonder the reason, her back slammed into a tree. She tried to move away, but he was close enough to effectively lock her into place. She could feel the heat of his saber near her face, signifying another loss. She dropped her own and looked up at Ren. He was breathing just as heavily as she was. She could see the triumph in his eyes, and even though she had lost, she felt it herself as well. She had defended herself well enough to fatigue him.

He dropped his own saber, effectively cutting off the blaze. He didn’t back away, though. Instead, he stood in front of her, not saying a word. She stared right back into his eyes the whole time, not one to back down from a challenge. And that was what it seemed to be. If he couldn’t already see her thoughts, Rey thought that he might be trying to read her mind with how intently he was looking into her eyes. Suddenly, he took a step forward. He was closer to her than he had ever been before. Rey had to crane her neck to keep their eyes locked. He raised his hand to her cheek as he had done before, but this time, he did not pull away. She felt the same lightning coursing through her, and once again found herself struggling for breath. Without even thinking about it, Rey raised her own hand to his face. She pushed his hair from his eyes and trailed her fingers down to rest on his collar bone. There were no words in either of their heads, only thoughts that neither could express.

Rey suddenly felt the strongest urge to lean in. As she did so, he suddenly dropped his hand and  turned away. Rey was left with her hand still in the air and a sudden coldness that chilled her body. She didn’t understand the abrupt sense of loss that she felt. Before he could turn and see her standing like an idiot, Rey pulled herself together, pushing away from the tree. She walked back over to the rock and sat once again. She waited for Ren to speak. She could feel the conflict coming from him. It was mingling with her own. They seemed to keep getting drawn together. Rey wasn’t sure if it was something to do with their connection, or if it was something else that she couldn’t give a name to. Either way, it seemed it was getting harder for the both of them to ignore. He finally turned toward her. It seemed as though he had been trying to forget what had just happened because his face was wiped clean and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“You are already doing much better. This much I have managed to teach you in one brief amount of time. Imagine the things you could do if you allowed me the chance to actually teach you.” Rey could feel his desire to do so through their connection. She didn’t give him the answer that he wanted, though. She didn’t really give him an answer at all. Rey was exhausted and felt a rejection that she was a little ashamed of. She gave Ren a half smile before willing herself back to her room.

She could feel him in her head as she opened her eyes to her room. She pushed thoughts of him away, instead deciding to go find some food. Rey had enough on her mind without adding Kylo Ren into the mix.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it has been so long! I was in a wedding this past week on top of a whole bunch of other things. Updates should be coming more regularly now. As always, please comment or message me on [tumblr](http://bookworm357.tumblr.com/)


	5. Return

“No, hold your saber like this, and then swing.” Kylo was repositioning her stance into one that felt completely alien to her. They had been meeting like this every day for the past week. Rey attributed it to her utter boredom around the base. Neither Luke nor the boys had returned and she was growing restless in all of her time alone. She knew that spending that time with Kylo was not the appropriate answer, but she was actually learning a lot from him. She had even managed to fall into her meditation that day without any help. She would never say it aloud of course, and she tried to hide those thoughts away from him as best as she could. “No, keep your feet apart.” She moved and repeated the step he was showing her. “Much better,” he said approvingly.

“I have never done this move before,” Rey said, “I thought there were only six forms.” Rey ran through the complicated move as she spoke to Kylo.

“No, there are seven. I’m not surprised that Skywalker didn’t teach you the last form. It was always my favorite when I was younger.” He started to move his way through the next sequence of the form, expecting her to copy him. “It’s very aggressive and I liked that then.” He paused and motioned for her to mimic his movements. “But I think you could benefit from when you get your own saber. It is a good form for double blade users.” Rey felt her eyes light up at the thought of a weapon so suited to her. She may not be able to beat him with her borrowed saber, but Rey knew that she could hold her own much better with a double bladed saber.

She found herself committing this form to memory much faster than any of the others that she had learned. Rey liked how it felt. It made her feel empowered and strong. Not to mention how good the approving look in Kylo’s eyes made her feel when she successfully ran through the entire form.

Rey raised her saber up in an invitation, but Kylo shook his head. “I have to go.” Her face must have fallen, because he stepped toward her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Tomorrow,” he promised with a squeeze before disappearing. Rey was not ready to go back to the real world, though. She stayed in her little paradise for hours running over all of the forms that she knew. She knew that she needed to know them well enough to not have to think about it in the middle of battle. Blindly swinging would only get her so far.

When she felt she had done enough for one day, Rey opened her eyes to her meadow. She felt another presence near her, though, and the realization caused her to instinctively jump to a defensive pose. She relaxed as she heard a gentle laugh come from behind her. She turned around, excited.

“Master! I did not know you would be back today.” Luke was sitting on the soft grass with a bag of food next to him. Her stomach released an embarrassingly loud growl as she saw its contents.

“I was not so sure myself. Leia told me that you had been out here all morning. I thought that you might want something to eat,” he said, gesturing to the bag at his side. Rey didn’t even hesitate before launching herself to his side, digging into the food. She had stayed later than usual. The sun was beginning its descent, turning the sky a lovely orange color. “I see you have managed to enter a meditative state on your own. I told you that you could do it.” Rey felt a heat blossom over her cheeks but played it off as approval over his praise. She didn’t think that Luke would be quite as proud if he knew the real reason she was able to do so.

They ate together and Rey pelted him with question after question about his most recent journey. She was always curious about the places that he went to. Rey had gotten to see a lot of things over the past few months, but she still felt the desire to hop into a ship and experience everything that she could. It was one of the many things that Luke completely understood about her. He had told her about his upbringing on Tatooine. The similarities made Rey feel a connection with Luke as a man, instead of a Jedi.

After they had finished every last drop of food that Luke had brought with him, he stood, indicating that she should as well. “Let’s see if you have been practicing your forms as well as you have your meditation.” He ignited his green saber and gave her a soft bow, waiting for her to do the same with his father’s saber.

Rey was excited. She had been waiting for this moment for weeks. She stood opposite the old man and lit the blade in her hand. She felt the gentle pressure in her head of Kylo Ren, but she ignored it, not wanting anything to distract her.

With a nod, they were off. Rey knew that Luke held back in their battles. She would be a fool to believe that he didn’t. The man may be old enough to be her father, but she knew he could cut her down in an instant if he so pleased. She felt a stronger desire to do well than she  normally did. She wondered, somewhat darkly, if it was to impress her master or Kylo Ren. Pushing that thought from her mind, Rey put all of her focus into the battle with the man in front of her. She was blocking his attacks with a newfound ease, and while she was still nowhere near being able to defeat him, Rey felt confidence in the fact that she was holding her own.

Luke noticed her improvement and adjusted accordingly. His attacks became slightly harsher, and Rey found herself struggling to defend herself once again. It was after she blocked a strike that almost sliced into her bicep that Rey saw an opening. She didn’t give herself the time to think about it, just launched into to offense. Luke sensed the change and tried to push her back into a defensive position, but Rey didn’t relent. Before she knew what was happening, she was moving into the form she had learned earlier that day. She struck out as she heard Kylo's voice in her head yell for her to stop. Luke blocked her strike with wide eyes and Rey realized her mistake.

Luke lowered his saber, shutting the blade off. He didn’t speak at first and Rey did her best to look innocent. Kylo had vacated her mind when Luke set his focus on her. Rey put her saber away, sensing they were finished for the day.

“Where did you learn that move?” Luke asked her. His voice was careful and even. Rey swallowed, knowing that she needed to answer him before he grew even more suspicious of her.

“I… I’m not really sure,” She stuttered out. “It just came to me.” She hoped that she could play it off as something that she had plucked from Kylo Ren’s head when she read his mind. She wasn’t sure if Luke would believe her, though. It had been a half of a year since that incident, and she hadn’t shown any knowledge of the form before.

“Hmm…”Luke intoned, but he didn’t say anything else. He stared at her with an intensity that froze Rey into place. Finally, he looked away and Rey felt a trickle of fear worm its way into her head. While the old man frustrated Rey sometimes, she didn’t want to lose him as a teacher. She really should have known better than to let Kylo Ren show her anything. She couldn’t have possibly expected to keep that knowledge away from Luke for long. _This is why I told you no!_ Rey shouted in her head. She didn’t know if he heard her or not. He was still conveniently missing from her mind. “I think that is enough for today. We can continue tomorrow.”

Rey didn’t let herself feel relief as he dropped the subject. She had a gut feeling that he was just putting it on the back burner for the time being. Scratching at her neck in discomfort, Rey lifted her eyes from the ground. “I think I am going to go for a run before it is completely dark.” She needed to get away from the man in front of her and clear her head before she said something stupid.

Luke nodded at her and started off in the direction of the base. Before he was out of her earshot, he turned toward her with a solemn look. “Don’t think that you can’t talk to me about anything. I’ll be waiting for you when you are ready.” With that, he turned and headed back, not giving a backward glance.

Rey swallowed her guilt and started stretching her muscles, not lying about going for a run. She needed to clear her head and she knew that the exertion would help. Taking a deep breath, she started off, taking the long way back around to the base. She didn’t want to run into Luke along the path, so she cut through the trees.

Rey couldn’t believe that she had been so foolish. She forced her frustration away bit by bit. Every time her foot met the ground, she felt a little more slipping away. She knew that Luke had been suspicious of her, and now she was afraid that his fears were confirmed. Rey didn’t want to have to explain her connection to anyone. It was her's in a way that nothing else had ever been. She didn't want to lose it.

As she continued along through the forest she could feel her worries slipping away like she knew they would. What she didn’t expect was to slip out of her mind so completely that she into Kylo Ren’s.

For the most part, Rey tried to stay out of his head. He didn’t offer her the same courtesy, but she didn’t mind for the most part. She could shut him out when needed, so she didn’t see the harm.

He seemed alert but didn’t notice her intrusion. _Kylo?_ Rey started cautiously. She startled him and he lost his focus. He didn’t reply to her, but she could hear the sharp words that passed through his mind. She briefly wondered at his reaction before she felt something slice across her shoulder blade. She recognized the phantom pain from the last time he had been injured. She felt a sliver of concern before she shoved it away. It dawned on her that Kylo was sparring with someone. She could feel him drawing energy from pain, and with that, Rey felt it fade away slowly. She had never witnessed Kylo using the dark side of the force. It made her a little uneasy to watch, but she was too curious to pull out of his mind. He was focused enough on his fight that he paid no attention to her. It gave Rey the perfect opportunity to observe.

His head was a completely different place than her own. Where Rey fought for peace and calmness, Kylo Ren seemed to relish in the chaos of his pain and anger. She wondered if he came to her mind so often to escape the turmoil in his own. Watching his mind work made Rey realize how easy it would be for her to turn away from the light. The thoughts that he used to fuel himself were thoughts that Rey struggled to will away every day. She was struck by the realization that the dark side was the easier of the two choices.

She pulled out of his head carefully, not wanting to distract him again. Rey was filled with a resolve stronger than ever before to stay on the light side. She had never been one to take the easy way out, and she didn’t plan on starting anytime soon.

Rey filled her lungs with a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she let go of everything that was bothering her. She would not fall prey to her own weaknesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye midterms, hello Spring Break! Hopefully, I will get much more writing done with week with no classes to worry about. Comment or follow me on [Tumblr](http://bookworm357.tumblr.com/) :)


	6. Choices

Rey had been ignoring Kylo Ren for three days. She told herself that the two reasons she had for doing so were good ones. First, Luke was watching her much more carefully than usual. Second, she had no idea what she wanted to say to him. She knew that she couldn’t be mad at him for teaching her those moves. She had welcomed it without a second thought. And even though she hadn’t reacted in time, he had tried to stop her. She remembered the frantic sound of his voice in her head as he told her to stop. It just hadn’t been quick enough.

Luke had been pretending that there was nothing strange between them, but Rey would catch him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. It always seemed as though he was trying to see through her. She wondered if he could sense his nephew floating around in her head. Of course, she had wondered that since the beginning, but he had never said anything to lead her to believe that he could.

They were training out in Rey’s clearing again, and Luke was drilling her on the forms. She had lost count of how many times she had run through the moves since Luke had returned. Rey made no attempt to move onto the form that she had learned from Kylo, and Luke didn’t ask her to either.

“Your transitions are sloppy. Start over from the beginning and focus,” Luke ordered. Rey swallowed down her frustration and changed her stance. This was all they had been doing since Luke had returned. She knew that it was important for her to know the forms, but it felt more like a punishment than education. He always watched her carefully as she finished  the sixth form as if he expected her to launch into the seventh. Rey was sticking to her story that she didn’t actually know the form. It was one thing for her to use it in the heat of the moment, but Rey was certain that if she proved her full knowledge, he would know she had been working with Kylo Ren.

Ren had told her that the seventh form had been his favorite when he was younger. Rey wondered if this was the reason that Luke didn’t try to teach it to her. She couldn’t imagine that Luke actually believed that a form was what had turned his nephew dark.

 _He doesn’t think it is the form. He is just afraid that  you will turn out like me._ Rey pushed his voice away and continued through the sequences. It was getting very difficult for Rey to ignore him, but there was no way she was going to acknowledge him with Luke standing so close to her.  _Fine. You can’t ignore me forever, though._ He withdrew from her mind, resigned.

 

“That is enough for today. We will continue tomorrow,” Luke said much later. Rey’s muscles cried in relief as she relaxed her body from her last position. She refused to complain, but her muscles had no such qualms.

As she stretched out her sore limbs, she turned to the older man. “I think I know the forms well enough, Master. There is still so much for me to learn, and I feel like we are wasting time.” Rey looked down to the ground, not wanting Luke to think that she was disrespecting him. “I just mean… ”

“We will meet here tomorrow after your run,” he told her in an obvious dismissal. “Are you coming back to the base, or staying?” Rey swallowed her disappointment before shaking her head.

“I think that I will stay here a little bit longer if that is alright.” He nodded to her and turned away, leaving her alone in the clearing.

Rey didn’t mean to complain. She really didn’t. She was just tired of Luke thinking that she was going to turn dark if he showed her too much. He had been hesitant to even begin training her in the first place, so she had no reason to be surprised. She hadn’t spent too much time worrying about it before, but after learning so much in such a short time with Ren, it was hard to go back to Luke’s carefully measured pace. 

Crossing her legs atop the stone, Rey closed her eyes and tried to push her emotions away. She evened out her breathing and tuned out everything but the sounds around her. Rey sat like that for  a while, trying desperately to let go of the physical world that she was currently tied down to. She couldn’t seem to open herself up to the force no matter how hard she tried. Rey opened her eyes and let out a huff of frustration. It seemed as though all of the progress she had made over the last few weeks was lost.

 _Stop letting your mind get in the way. Either let it go, or use it. Allowing it to eat away at you is only going to end in your failure._ She was so distracted that she hadn’t even felt the familiar nudge of his consciousness enter her mind. She did not acknowledge him as she closed her eyes again, but she did take his advice. Rey focused on each thing that was bothering her and let them go one at a time. With each disappearing problem, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Soon, it was as if there was nothing to hold her down. She sighed contentedly to herself, and only opened her eyes as she felt a drop of water splash against her cheek.

Rey was not in her clearing anymore. Instead, she was on her imaginary island. And there was rain beginning to fall down on her. Unable to hide the smile upon her face, Rey jumped up and spun around in the wetness with her arms outstretched. She stopped suddenly when she saw Ren leaning against a tree with a smirk on his face.

“I’ll have to make it rain every time we meet if it will cause you to act like this,” he told her with a raised brow. Rey brought her arms back to her sides and frowned at him.

“It wouldn’t be special if it happened all of the time,” Rey started dismissively. He shrugged, and then waved his hand noncommittally. The water stopped pouring down almost instantly. She ignored the faint wave of disappointment that flowed through her at the loss and the jealousy of his control over something she loved so dearly. “Why are you here?” she questioned. Rey wasn’t surprised that he was there, but she had hoped that he wouldn’t be simply so she wouldn't have to have this conversation.

He didn’t respond to her. Instead, he pushed from the tree he was leaning against and took a couple steps towards her. Rey could feel herself unconsciously taking a step backward for every step that he took forward. He stopped when he realized that he wasn’t gaining any ground on her and gave her a pained look. “I want you to give me a good reason for why you are shutting me out.”

Rey found it hard to keep eye contact while he was looking at her like that. She sidestepped his request and instead stated, “You have been throwing more tantrums than usual.” It was true. Ren seemed as though he was constantly on edge over the last few days. She had been witness to at least five different fits that he had thrown, one of which had been in the middle of a meeting with Luke and the General. It had been incredibly difficult for her to keep her composure with the rage that she had felt flooding into her system. Rey couldn’t believe that a man of his age could get away with acting that way. Leia would have her sedated if she tried to do the same.

“I have been stressed,” he told her bitingly. “Believe it or not, I am under a remarkable amount of pressure at any given moment.” He tried to come closer to her again. This time, Rey did not back away. He let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief and took another step. “These… meetings that we have… help,” he finished softly. He continued toward her until he was only a few steps away from her. He seemed conflicted about whether he should come closer or not. Rey recognized a feeling coming from Kylo Ren. She thought back to the way she felt waiting for her parents to return and the abandonment that she felt when they never did. She could feel the same type of pain coming from the man in front of her. Rey swallowed deeply and looked down, ashamed.

“I didn’t realize it meant so much to you,” she murmured, inspecting her fingernails as though her life depended on it. She inhaled sharply as one of his hands covered her own, and the other forced her chin up so that their eyes were meeting once again.

“Well, now you know.” They stood like that long enough that Rey felt a chill on her skin when he finally pulled away from her. She tried her best to hide the shivers that racked her body at the loss of his touch. 

“I’m sorry.” They were the only words that she could think to say. He lifted a corner of his mouth in a sad imitation of a smile.

That smile seemed to punch Rey right in the gut. She didn't know why it took her so long to realize that the man in front of her was just as broken and hurt as she was. She blurted out her next words without letting herself think about the consequences. 

“Will you teach me something?”

He was taken aback, but he responded instantly with the biggest smile that Rey had ever seen on his face.

“I thought you would never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is much shorter than I had anticipated, but the ending felt like a much more natural stopping point than what I had originally written. This is mostly a filler chapter, but the good stuff will be coming soon! Comment and/or follow me on [Tumblr!](http://bookworm357.tumblr.com/)


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